Tool was 96
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I assumed he meant the palace. Saw some really great gigs there back in the day.
No, the Palace, which was next door and mysteriously burned down. Used to have the bands that were too big for pubs but not big enough for the stadiuns/arenas. Saw Nirvana there before they went into the stratosphere.
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I also saw Stevie Nicks there. Sometime in the 90’s. I don’t think she really knew that she was at Festival Hall, in Melbourne or even in Australia. But she was one of my first loves, so of course I forgave her anything.
Saw Dire Straits in the early 1980’s. I wasn’t a huge fan before the concert (dragged along by a girlfriend from memory) but they were a different band live. Been a fan ever since.
Yeah, that was a great venue. Dropkick Murphys there was right up with my best gigs ever.
My favourite Melbourne venue.
What’s happening in Melbourne is a disaster. So many memories from my playing days are now gone. This is just another added to the list.
The Palace
The Espy
The Punters Club
All the iconic venues are gone. As much as developers play a large part some blame has to fall on the generation Yers. They just stopped going to watch live music.
When the espy closed they should have declared a state emergency
We played there opening for Spiderbait and TISM. Spiderbait playerd Black Betty for soundcheck and I said “ you should record that”
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That would have been immense. Dropkick Murphys are at the top of my ‘bands I still need to see’ list.
Iggy Pop supported by Beasts of Bourbon was one of the more memorable gigs there.
Who is we?
A band I was in in the late 90’s early 00’s I promise you never heard of
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Saw my first ever big gig there, Slayer in about 2000.
Been to a few others since, but I feel like The Forum took a fair chunk of it’s market.
As a venue, it was never more than adequate and I was a lot sadder to see the palace go. Still, the trend is a worrying one.
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I’ve seen a lot of bands and was probably at that gig.
try me.
From the Inside
You’re 20 years too late on that front.
The guts was torn out of the Melbourne live music scene in the late 90s/early 00s when two thirds of the pubs in the frigging state tore out the sound stage and put in a pokie lounge in its place.
The remaining venues have been on life support ever since. Apartment developments have just been the nail in the coffin, though noise complaints and zoning bullshite didn’t help either. Pretty ■■■■■■■ sad to see the Retreat staff turning up to every auction or open for inspection within two blocks to hand out ‘there is a live music venue here, don’t say you didn’t know’ pamphlets to all the would-be buyers just so they don’t get shut down on a noise complaint…
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To be honest, the Espy charged an arm and a leg for a pot.
Much more than anywhere else around. They’d have ‘free’ gigs every Friday and Saturday night, but you’d pay for it by the cost of beer.
I don’t think it’s as dire as you make out though, there are old places closing, but there are always new places that take their place.
The issue with Festival Hall is, it’s the middle ground between the forum or Billboards, and Rod Laver. It’s a huge issue.
**[quote=“Humble_Minion, post:34, topic:12015, full:true”]
You’re 20 years too late on that front.
The guts was torn out of the Melbourne live music scene in the late 90s/early 00s when two thirds of the pubs in the frigging state tore out the sound stage and put in a pokie lounge in its place.
The remaining venues have been on life support ever since. Apartment developments have just been the nail in the coffin, though noise complaints and zoning bullshite didn’t help either. Pretty ■■■■■■■ sad to see the Retreat staff turning up to every auction or open for inspection within two blocks to hand out ‘there is a live music venue here, don’t say you didn’t know’ pamphlets to all the would-be buyers just so they don’t get shut down on a noise complaint…
[/quote]
People near the Espy complaining about noise was one of the most wankerific things I’ve ever encountered. How on earth could you move into that area an not know what the Esplanade Hotel is?
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The Gershwin Room always had a cover, tbh I had no idea about the cost of drinks there, I was either on a bill, knew a band on the bill or was covering a gig for beat/inpress when I was there so either way I had a rider, or access to one
While I agree to some extent I also disagree.
(And for context as I glance across my room I can see a tile from the punters club sitting on the mantle piece. That place closing down took a bit of my soul with it…and don’t get me started on the media writing article after article about the Continental closing at the same time, while ignoring the Punners, which was the people’s venue, with free entry on that last day, a queue 100m down the middle of Brunswick St, and running out of beer at 7pm…yeah that $100+ closing night at the Conti was far more important to the local music scene…get f##ked)
Anyway, the vast majority of these venues are of their time. They come and go and so it goes. And each time everyone laments the scene dying.
When you think of ACDC honing there craft with a residency at the Kingston in Richmond, or the Sarah Sands Family Hotel being one of the great venues…or the GB or the Club, or the Espy, and on and on
But then the Curtin (and it’s terrible band room) and the Gaso and Howler and the Workers and etc etc fill the gaps, and on we go.
Kids do still see music. It’s had some challenges, and I hate new apartment complexes as much as anyone (and for the life of me I’ll never be able to work out which of them was Nicholson’s ever again), but live music is still here!
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But yeah the espy is a massive loss. I am not sure I even recognise in my mind that it won’t be back…
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I forgot to mention the wrestling and the roller derby at Festival Hall, they were great fun as well.
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